Coburn lights into Obama, calls for real leadership

In a harsh and cogent criticism of President Barack Obama’s Wednesday press conference and the president’s general lack of action to address the nation’s debt and deficit, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn (R) today just flat-out nailed it.

“The leader of our country is the president and he sets the tone and when he’s been inattentive and not in the game until this last week, I don’t think he can throw any darts at anybody else given his travel plans and his campaigning,” Coburn said in an interview on The Laura Ingraham Show.

Coburn’s characterization of the president made it clear just what a great Campaigner-in-Chief BHO really is.

“It’s about his next election. You know, all this is about is, this is a political campaign he’s in, rather than a policy campaign for what is best for our country right now,” the senator said. “I think he has traveled more than any other president, been out of the country more than any other president, in the same period of time, utilized his plane more, done more campaigning at this stage than probably anybody else, and yet we’ve accomplished very little towards solving the very real problems that are in front of us. They’re urgent problems.”

A few other notable quotes from the Coburn interview today:

@1:42 – “He should have been negotiating with these people for the last four or five months, rather than create a sense of somebody’s negotiating, and moving the ball every time somebody gets close. I think it is all about the 2012 election and not anything about our problems.”

@4:37 – “I think if you want to work a deal the last thing you do is keep putting your finger in [Republicans'] eye[s] publically and then go try to work a deal. What he needs to do is calm down his rhetoric, and roll up his sleeves, call in McConnell and Boehner and Reid, and say ‘Ok, guys, let’s stay here until we get something worked [out].’”

@8:04 – “The best way for this president to get reelected in my mind is talk to the American people, be truthful with them, don’t be partisan, say here are the things we are going to do, I’m going to go roll up my sleeves and work to get this done. He’d be a hero if he actually got it done.”

@10:40 – “What we need is real leadership to stand up and say we understand we have to live within our means, we’re going to make the difficult choices. We are going to ask everyone to share in that, including corporate America, everyone is going to share in that, and that’s so we can create prosperity in the future.”

Really, the entire thing is worth a listen:

What resonates most deeply with me is the way in which Coburn’s comments reflect a genuine concern for the country, rather than any kind of personal animosity toward the president. Can’t help but be proud of my home state senator — especially as, while the president delivers little at very publicized press conferences, Coburn continues to quietly propose bipartisan solutions, like his recent rollout of a plan to reform Medicare — a plan cosponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

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